Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Class Trip to the Serengeti

If you have ever been a chaperone on a youth trip, you know
that youth trips, even to tourist destinations, are not the same thing as
vacation. This weekend was evidence that this truth is universal ;-) That being
said, we were delighted to have some time with Form 4 (senior class) students
outside the bounds of the school. Here’s a little peak out the Senior trip to
the Serengeti:

Day 1

The original time of departure on Saturday was 5:45am.
Thankfully we got the message the night before that the bus wasn’t going to be
able to get there that early—new departure time: 8am. Like good mzungu (white
people) who are still figuring out when time is fluid and when time is strict,
we arrived at 8am. The bus however didn’t arrive until 10am, because they had
wanted to wait for a full bus of passengers to take to Shinyanga before
starting their next job. Time isn’t money here. Money is money.

By 10:30am we were loaded up and on our way with five other
teachers and the fifty Form 4 students that could afford the trip— the students
were expected to pay the equivalent of $30 US dollars. The bus is not like
buses in the U.S. with an aisle. Each aisle has a seat that folds up and down,
so that five people can fit across comfortably. We fit six on each row.
Everyone had packed lightly, but even still the bus was packed to the max.
(Side note: we thought we had packed lightly, and we had for us, but Tanzanians
take it to a whole other level, washing clothes to be re-worn again another
day).

We were expecting the
trip to take about 7 hours (2.5. to Mwanza, 3 to the Serengeti entrance, and
maybe another 1.5 into the park). We made it to Mwanza in good time, but since
we had left late and the Serengeti park gate closes at 4pm, we were still in a rush. Lunch
consisted of a box of cookies per person, a soda, and a water bottle, because
that is what Philemon (the Assistant Headmaster) could buy quickly from street
vendors while the bus filled up on gas. Then we were on our way again. By God’s
grace, we arrived at the gate at 3:58pm. Whew! Praise the Lord! It was only
once we entered the gate that we began to realize our time estimation was way
off. We were in a bus, not a Land Cruiser, which meant we were practically
crawling over the bumpy roads of the Serengeti. Plus the Youth Hostel was in
the center of the Serengeti, which by crawling bus was 7 hours away from the
entrance.

Let me paint the picture for you: For those of you who are
international travelers, imagine a 12.5 hour flight. Now, take away the leg
room and imagine that you are sitting on a wheel, so your feet rest a foot off
the floor and your thighs are at a 45 degree incline (this was Linda’s
situation). For entertainment, you have Tanzanian music videos and a Tanzanian
soap opera on one central TV, but only for the first 5.5 hours because for the
next 7 hours it is too bumpy for technology. You get one bathroom break the
entire time, which consists of doing your business in the middle of nowhere
with a dozen others of your gender around you. There is no privacy in a time
crunch. At one point during the trip, your group is attacked by a band of
tsetse flies—the really bad ones that can cause Trypanosomiasis, aka sleeping
sickness. Thus all the windows are closed, and you get to enjoy your own
personal unventilated sauna with fifty teenagers. Getting (smelling) the
picture? Good times ;-)

Yet, with all of those challenges, the students behaved
beautifully! We didn’t hear any complaining. In fact, one of the students asked
Linda if she was tired. She confessed yes and that her body was aching from
hours of sitting in one position. The student then encouraged her, “You have to
be strong.” We were amazed at the strength of the students and the teachers. During
the travels there were some really special moments, such as the students
breaking into an impromptu hymn-sing, seeing a band of lions sleeping on the
road, and being led down the road for many kilometers by one particular zebra
who liked running in the light of the bus. It wasn’t until we stopped the bus
and turned off the lights for several minutes that the zebra went on his way.

We arrived at the youth hostel at 11:30pm. Given that it was
so late, the students were sent to bed with some bread and butter for dinner.
Accommodations included a large room with bunk beds for the boys and one for
the girls, with boys’ and girls’ cement outhouses nearby.

Day 2

The next morning everyone was up by 6:30am bathing,
cleaning, and preparing meals. The youth hostel provided a place for coal fires
and some large pots, but we had brought everything else with us. Since everyone
had had very little food in the last day and a half, we made the first meal the
main meal. The girls worked very hard preparing the cow meat and fish cooked in
a tomato sauce, as well as a giant pot of rice. By noon, everyone had eaten,
all the dishes were clean, and we were on our way to tour the Serengeti.

For many of the students, this trip was their first time to
see any of these animals. There are no zoos in Tanzania. They were mesmerized!
I think we enjoyed watching the students as much as we enjoyed watching the
animals. Since most of them did not have cameras, Eric became the class
photographer and students will be able to pay to have pictures printed. This
opportunity got a little out-of-hand at some points, as we were mobbed by
students wanting us to take their picture ;-) We did love their enthusiasm
though.

We also stopped by the Serengeti tourism center. The
students and teachers were placed into three groups as tour guides led them
through the complex, teaching them about the animals and the environment. The
center had bones of various kinds of animals, emblems of their footprints in cement,
and descriptions of various animals and land conservation efforts. The guides
were very knowledgeable, and the students asked them lots of questions. The
center even had its own wildlife as dozens of hyraxes and mongooses scampered
about. They were obviously very accustomed to visitors.

That evening we had some of the drama that one might expect
out of a trip like this—items going missing, issues of appropriate boy/girl
relations, trouble settling down after a big day, safety issues, etc. I see all
you youth ministers out there nodding your heads in empathy. We got very little sleep that night. However,
that night also held one of our most special memories as well. After dinner,
Eric got out his guitar, and we led the group in song and devotions. We loved
singing with the students, and we pray that throughout the trip they heard
grace from us.

Day 3

The next morning we were once again up with the sun, preparing
some left over rice and tea for breakfast, and dealing with some remaining
drama. By 10am we were packed up and on the road. We found a better road coming
back which cut an hour and a half off our trip. Because the road was less
known, the driver did have to stop and ask for directions once from a very
accommodating “rastaman,” as the students termed him. Our new friend enjoyed
the attention as the students with cameras took pictures of his dreadlocks. When
we arrived at the Serengeti gate, we ran into a bit of trouble, because
apparently they were supposed to charge extra for ex-patriots, even working ones.
However, since the entrance gate hadn’t caught it, they let us go this once.
Good to know for future reference.
We were so encouraged by what good time we were making that
Philemon decided to stop and get a hot meal for everyone for lunch. It took
over an hour to get chipsi mayai (fried eggs and potatoes) for everyone on the
bus, but it was a nice treat. We ran into our biggest travel problems in
Mwanza, where we got stuck in traffic that resembled a parking lot. Thus, the
trip back actually took longer than
the trip there. Thirteen hours later, at 11pm we finally arrived back at the
school. We never ceased to be amazed by the energy of the students. While we
looked and felt like something the cat dragged in, the students were as
jubilant as ever. They cheered as we drove into the school and were already
exchanging stories with their classmates as we headed home. We are thankful for
their joy.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Linda, Eric, Michael and Julia Funke

In September of 2012, we followed God's call and moved to Tanzania. Eric teaches computers, math, and physics at Mwadui Lutheran Secondary School. Linda serves as school's guidance counselor and assists the local Lutheran diocese with development projects. In 2015, our son Michael joined our family. Then in 2017, our daughter Julia became part of our family. This blog provides space for our longer stories and reflections. If you would like to learn more about our ministry, please check out the following links: